Reports

Under a contract with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Development Services in 2016 reviewed national trends and reports regarding food hubs, and augmented that with interviews of food hub operators in Minnesota. Our report highlights new roles being played in the local food system by non-profit organizations, and assesses the challenges faced by food hubs in getting to sustainable economic sale. The full study is available for download in PDF format.

In 2013-14, CDS reviewed the status of several housing co-op
sectors present in MN, WI and IA. We'd like to thank the National Cooperative Bank for funding this study. The study is available for download in
PDF format.

CDS commissioned a 2014 survey of community and economic developers in Minnesota and Wisconsin to gauge their knowledge about and interest in cooperative businesses as a solution to various issues of community development. The full study is available for download in PDF format.

Cooperative Development Services has completed a case study of the cooperative food system in the Twin Cities with particular focus on this as a local foods system operating at scale. Authored by Joan Stockinger of CDS and Dave Gutknecht of Cooperative Grocer magazine with funding provided by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the full study is available for download in PDF format.

Testimonials

"With CDS' help, we were able to channel $1.5M of social investment to young organic farmers in our region. Most importantly, these services were provided to us at a price we could actually afford as a start-up."

- Robert Karp, President, New Spirit Ventures, LLC

CDS is a nonprofit organization created and governed by the cooperative community of the Upper Midwest.